No Filter?

I live in three worlds. I am surrounded with senior citizens. I have a 15 year old son. I have 9 grandkids, several between 4-7 years of age.

There is a common denominator with all three age groups = no filter. I have learned that seniors because of their age are entitled to say whatever they want, when they want, however they want, and it doesn’t matter if it is kind or unkind, edifying or condemning.

They no longer need to say the magic words, “Please” and “Thank You.” – They’ve arrived.

We love Zach dearly, and he makes us laugh – but with him – what you see is what you get. If he is thinking it – it flows out of his mouth. He hasn’t caught on to the fact that as Solomon say, “there is a time to speak and a time to be silent.”

My grandkids crack me up. Hey – if you want to know how you talk – listen to your kids and grandkids. They really are like parrots. They imitate perfectly.

King David penned this verse: Psalm 19:14 – Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be accepted in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.

Notice the connection between the mouth and heart. Maybe you’ve missed it. Jesus told the disciples that what is in the heart comes out through our words. Chuck Swindoll said that “our words are the dictionary of our hearts.” Or better yet, I love this Swindoll quote: “We ought to so live our lives that we wouldn’t be afraid to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.

It really doesn’t matter how young or how old we are. We DO need a filter on our mouths. Age, rank, status of life don’t negate all the other principles laid out for us in God’s Word about how we should use our words.

Maybe that is why James wrote “let every man be swift to HEAR, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:19-20)”

How’s your filter? Might be a good day to start thinking about your words and how you can use them to please HIM! – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Nehemiah 12-13; Proverbs 19; Acts 4:23-37

Motivations:  “Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” ― Corrie Ten Boom

Practice to Remember: Level 1: Philippians 1:29 Level 2: Philippians 1:27-30

Powered Up:  It matters little what FORM of prayer we adopt or how many WORDS we use, what matters is the FAITH which lays hold on God and touches the heart of the Father who knew us long before we came to Him. Dietrich Bonhoeffer